Getz, Lloyd oral history

Today is Sunday October 3rd, 2010. I am Joe Moore and I am interviewing Lloyd Getz at 5015 Cornelia Road. Mr. Getz is my Great Uncle. He is 89 years old and was born on September 27, 1921. Mr. Getz severed in World War II and held the rank of 2nd Class electricians mate.
Joe Moore: Where you drafted or did you enlist?
Lloyd Getz: I actually volunteered. When I had the chips against me, I volunteered for the Submarine Service.
JM: Where were you living?
LG: I was living in South Dakota at the time.
[00.56]
JM: What made you want to join the Submarine Service?
LG: Well, I was talked into it more or less by a few guys that I knew. They seemed to think that was the best route to take.
JM: Was training camp or boot camp difficult and how did you get through all of that?
LG: Training camp was not that difficult. At least that’s what I thought about it at the time. I volunteered for everything that was available. I wound up going to Iowa State College where I spent three months getting ready for the Submarine Service. And like they say, I volunteered for that and I knew one of the guys and his name was Lloyd too. He talked me into going to Submarine School at New London, Connecticut. So, the two of us we wound up taking the train from Iowa State College to New London, Connecticut.
JM: Do you recall your first day of service? Were you really nervous, anxious, excited?
LG: I was real nervous but I learned to deal away with that and do the best that I could do. Some of the training was a little rugged because I couldn’t swim. So after watching me struggle, they asked me if I could swim and I told them no! I wound up taking different swimming classes so that I could pass boot camp.
[3.55]
JM: So you severed in World War. Where did you actually go while in the Submarine Service?
LG: I wound up going all over the Pacific in a submarine. I went to Pearl Harbor and spent eight months there. We patrolled all over. That was part of what we had to do. The sea was so rough some days that upon leaving the bridge, the old man (Captain) counted us coming back down to make sure we were all there. He said that he was glad to see all of us. He thought one of us could be swept away and lost at sea. That’s how rough it was. After Hawaii, we sailed up to Alaska. We wound up going to many different areas to fire practice torpedoes. One day one of the torpedoes we launched went off right next to our sub. I dropped my glasses and said that was too close. I was so scared I didn’t want to put my glasses back on to see the damage. The explosion was terrible. After Alaska, we came back to the States. There we had to go through three months of Navy overhaul which involves going over every inch of that submarine. They then gave me thirty days leave so I went home to South Dakota. But during that time, my brother got killed in Texas. Oh Rooney, you guys didn’t know Rooney, he got killed in Texas by a dumb accident on a truck.
JM: Can you explain what you did as an electricians mate one the Submarine?
LG: I wound up going down into the battery wells to clean the batteries so there wouldn’t be excessive amount of grounds. They wanted everything really clean so some of the work was very extensive. So that was one of the things we had to do was clean the batteries.
JM: Did you ever have any casualties on your submarine?
LG: No, there was no one actually killed on this submarine.
JM: What’s one of the most memorable experiences while on the Submarine?
LG: Well, one of the more memorable things was when we had to go to just north of Japan. We had to work very close with Russia. Working with them was a part that really didn’t encourage me. It was something I had to work through.
[9:07]
JM: Was there any way to stay in touch with your family during the service?
LG: The only way I was in touch with my family was through writing letters. That was it. That was all. I think some of the letters were checked out to make sure nothing was being said about our plans.
JM: What was the food like and the supplies? Were there plenty of both?
LG: All we had was already aboard the sub. There was no way to get anything else. We had plenty of supplies aboard ship and plenty to eat. We always had a good meal.
JM: Were you usually stressed out on the boat on a hard day or was it pretty easy going?
LG: Well, some of the times it was a little nasty but most of the time no problem at all.
JM: Okay, did you ever have any entertainment or entertainers there?
LG: I think we had entertainment in the Pacific at Midway. At Midway Island, we had our beer there and we had a pretty good time.
JM: Did you ever have any good luck charms or anything you did for good luck?
LG: No, I can't say that.
JM: Do you recall any humorous of unusual events that were on the ship?
LG: On the ship, you know, I had very little experience as far as fun goes because I was kept so busy, enough to stay out of trouble.
JM: Do you recall when your service ended?
LG: Let me try to explain that to you. I went through the Panama Canal and back up the east coast and there I spent several months in the United States waters before the war was over. The war in Germany was not over with and the War in Japan was not over with either.
JM: Have you seen any of your close friends that were with you in the war?
LG: Yes, I have seen several. Quite a few. In fact, I'll tell you a little story about one of the captains that I got acquainted with pretty well. I walked up to my captain one night and said, "Hello Frank. How are you?" and he said to me, "That’s what I want to be called instead of captain!" I will never forget that as long as I live. And he was, as far as I was concerned, an exceptional official. Period. Very, very well liked. Whatever you wanted to say about him, you could. He was just a gentleman. Period.
JM: After you got back did you go back to school or did you pursue a carrier?
LG: No, I did not go back to school. I went and tended bar down the street for eight years and then he [the manager] changed it into a liquor store. I worked there fifty years right down the street on the corner. No bologna either!
JM: In Japan, were you ever fired upon or did you ever fire at anyone?
LG: No, as far as I can remember we were never fired on nor did we fire on an enemy.
JM: Did you ever feel claustrophobic aboard the ship? Was it really small?
LG: No, I cannot say that. I put my time in wherever it was needed and that’s what I did.
JM: Did you just have one big room where everybody slept or did you have individual corridors?
LG: No, I had my own bunk. I stayed in it all through the war and that was it! I had my own bunk but there were quite a few guys in that particular area.
[15:37] JM: Can you tell me about the reunions that you have been to?
LG: I've been all over the United States. I’ve missed only two states and I've been to a great deal of reunions. The one that stands out more in my mind is the one in New Orleans. That was absolutely great. We had a lot of people there and that was great.
JM: This is perfect! How did your service and experience affect your life?
LG: Oh, my gosh, I don't think it had anything to do with your life. I learned to be with people and I learned to just absolutely enjoy people. Period. To this day, I still enjoy people.
JM: Did you spend days, weeks or months on while on the submarine?
LG: Well, the longest trip we made was like I said north of Japan and we were close to Russia. It was just one of those things I learned to coup with because it was my duty and I just had to do what I thought was right.
[18:03.5]
JM: How many trips did you make on the submarine?
LG: Actually I made only two trips: one in the North of Japan and one to Hawaii and Alaska.
JM: Were they weeks or months at a time?
LG: The trip on Alaska was for several weeks.
JM: Did people get very sea sick while aboard the Submarine?
LG: I was so sea sick at times it was pathetic!
JM: Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t covered yet?
LG: Well, the experiences that I cannot remember that well where when we went to Panama through the locks and up the east coast. I wish I could remember more.
JM: Are the men that were aboard the submarine your life-long friends? Do you still talk to them often?
LG: I don't talk to them often because a lot of them are gone. I do talk every chance I get to some of the guys. So it's fun, you know what I mean? To remember all these guys, I just wish that our old captain was alive and I could possibly talk to him more.
JM: How did you care about other things going on in the war while one the submarine?
LG: Actually, there were a lot of things that were going on, but one of the things that I could remember is that the Japs had ships that they could launch aircraft off of. These airplanes could possibly cause a lot of problems to the submarines.
JM: Do you remember Pearl Harbor and hearing about that?
LG: I wasn’t there at that time but I spent eight months at Pearl Harbor working on submarines. We would do any work that had to be done on these submarines that came in from the ocean. One of the things that comes to my mind is going in to get my tonsils taken out. The nurses and doctors all laughed at me and said, "We do not take care of anything but casualties!" In other words, unless you have a battle wound, we can’t help you. They sent me back to the submarine and I had to go to a civilian hospital to get my tonsils taken out.
[23:42]
JM: Was your brother Rooney enlisted when he was killed?
LG: Oh yeah, he was in the service.
JM: What was he doing?
LG: He went into the army in Texas. He was crazy about baseball and wanted to play instead of full time service. He was so good, they granted him permission to discuss this with military personal at a different location. In route, he got clipped or hit by another truck and that’s where he died.
JM: Do you recall where you were when he died?
LG: I was on the West Coast waiting to go back out to sea. They gave me ten days to come to South Dakota and I thought he would be buried there but he wasn’t. He was buried in Rockford, Illinois because that’s where his wife insisted. That’s where he is today.
[25:38]
JM: Can you describe some of these pictures of your reunion?
LG: Sure! This is at the memorial in Washington, DC. It's really something to see. There are two guys that I know real well in submarine service here. Bob Palis and myself are still very close friends. This guy here, I’ve just known him the last four or five years. This is the plane we flew out on. It is decorated exactly the way we wanted it. These are the only four guys that are still living that I was on Submarine duty with. That’s myself, Bob Palis, another Bob and Johnny. This is another picture of the plane and they had a big party for us when we came back. It was unbelievable. I never thought they would have such a party. Here is me with my cane and here is another picture of the plane. Oh gosh! Where did you get these pictures?
JM: They are yours!
LG: Yeah? Beautiful! This is part of the memorial. This is one guy I got acquainted with a little bit. Here are the four submarine survivors. This is another picture of the Korean War Memorial. There is the four of us together again at the World War I [II?] Memorial.
[29:42]
JM: Do you remember the name of your submarine?
LG: The Skipjack.
JM: Do you know where it is today?
LG: Yes! I know where it is today.
JM: Have you seen it?
LG: No, it's in the middle of the Pacific at the bottom of the Ocean! [laughter]
JM: Do you have really old pictures of you and other men on the sub?
LG: These are some that we had, no others that I can recall.
JM: Do you have any pictures in your uniform?
LG: Hey, you threw a curve at me! I don't have any pictures of me in uniform.
JM: Do you still have your uniform?
LG: I think my uniform is in South Dakota still. The only uniform I have and it's still there in South Dakota.
JM: Can you describe what it looked like and what it had on it?
LG: Well, when I came back I was in uniform and my parents had a picture but that has been lost through the years. I don’t have any pictures of myself in uniform left.
JM: So is it a pretty standard uniform?
LG: Yes.
JM: And everyone wore the same thing?
LG: Oh yes, we all wore the same outfit except when we were doing work. When working on the sub, I always wore a t-shirt and work pants and that’s it.
JM: What do you think about the navy today?
LG: I still respect the Navy today. I really do. I think it's absolutely great what a lot of guys are doing. In fact, the VFW that I belonged to had about maybe six members that were on submarines.
JM: Did the Captain come around and inspect your bunk every day?
LG: No, he did not. The old man he always stayed in his area. Period!
JM: Were you close to other electricians mates?
LG: Oh yes. I worked closely with them so I got to know them pretty well. Electrician mates did whatever had to be done.
[36:40] JM: Did you say you started off 3rd Class then you moved up to second class?
LG: Yes, I moved up to 2nd class.
JM: How did that happen?
LG: I was given 2nd class without them even saying anything. I was just automatically given 2nd class.
[36:52] JM: Were you married before the war?
LG: I got married after the war.
JM: How long after? Did you meet her before?
LG: No, I didn't. We meet afterwards.
JM: How old were you when you enlisted?
LG: Twenty-one years-old
JM: Did you go to college?
LG: No.
JM: Not many people did?
LG: No, there were not too many guys that did.
JM: How old were you when you got out of the service?
LG: I must have been about twenty-four. I put about three years into the service.
JM: Do you remember what year that would be?
LG: Around 1945 I believe.
JM: So, was the war still going on when you got out of the service?
LG: No, the war was just over.
JM: Was there a big celebration?
LG: We had no celebration of any kind. In fact, as I said, I got discharged with a guy from Minneapolis. I wish that I knew where he was because I think him and I could woop it up a little bit. He is possibly dead. You know what I mean.
JM: Do you recall your parents missing you and worrying about you?
LG: Well, my Dad told me, "Whatever you do kid, stay out of submarines." So that’s exactly where I went! [laughter].
JM: Were they very worried?
LG: Oh, I guess not. They never missed me.
JM: Did they still live in South Dakota?
LG: My parents, mother and father are both dead. My sister lives is Sioux Falls. She still talks to me quite often. In fact just the other day, I talked to her. I got a sister that lives in Minneapolis and her name is Verline. I had a brother in Wyoming and he is one heck of a nice guy, Babe. In fact, I can remember the day he was born! Believe me and I mean it! He was born and my mother was in the bedroom and that’s where she produced him.
JM: What brought you here to Chicago?
LG: Well, one of those crazy things. I wound up coming to Chicago and worked at the liquor store and tending bar.
JM: Is that place still here?
LG: Yes, the liquor store it is still here but the bar is no longer there.
JM: So it's just a liquor store?
LG: Yes, I’ve been away from that liquor store for several years. In fact I retired in 1997 and I've been away from there ever since.
JM: Would you encourage a young person to enlist?
LG: It really depends on what his outlook maybe. If his outlook is difficult or maybe a little on the different side of life, than it is fine idea to enlist.
[43:06] JM: Specifically in the navy, would you push the navy over the army or any other branch of service?
LG: Yes, I would. [laughter] Only because of me being there you know?
JM: Alright, I think that is it! Thank you Uncle Lloyd!
LG: Hey thank you!
[43:15] End of interview.

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Today is Sunday October 3rd, 2010. I am Joe Moore and I am interviewing Lloyd Getz at 5015 Cornelia Road. Mr. Getz is my Great Uncle. He is 89 years old and was born on September 27, 1921. Mr. Getz severed in World War II and held the rank of 2nd Class electricians mate.
Joe Moore: Where you drafted or did you enlist?
Lloyd Getz: I actually volunteered. When I had the chips against me, I volunteered for the Submarine Service.
JM: Where were you living?
LG: I was living in South Dakota at the time.
[00.56]
JM: What made you want to join the Submarine Service?
LG: Well, I was talked into it more or less by a few guys that I knew. They seemed to think that was the best route to take.
JM: Was training camp or boot camp difficult and how did you get through all of that?
LG: Training camp was not that difficult. At least that’s what I thought about it at the time. I volunteered for everything that was available. I wound up going to Iowa State College where I spent three months getting ready for the Submarine Service. And like they say, I volunteered for that and I knew one of the guys and his name was Lloyd too. He talked me into going to Submarine School at New London, Connecticut. So, the two of us we wound up taking the train from Iowa State College to New London, Connecticut.
JM: Do you recall your first day of service? Were you really nervous, anxious, excited?
LG: I was real nervous but I learned to deal away with that and do the best that I could do. Some of the training was a little rugged because I couldn’t swim. So after watching me struggle, they asked me if I could swim and I told them no! I wound up taking different swimming classes so that I could pass boot camp.
[3.55]
JM: So you severed in World War. Where did you actually go while in the Submarine Service?
LG: I wound up going all over the Pacific in a submarine. I went to Pearl Harbor and spent eight months there. We patrolled all over. That was part of what we had to do. The sea was so rough some days that upon leaving the bridge, the old man (Captain) counted us coming back down to make sure we were all there. He said that he was glad to see all of us. He thought one of us could be swept away and lost at sea. That’s how rough it was. After Hawaii, we sailed up to Alaska. We wound up going to many different areas to fire practice torpedoes. One day one of the torpedoes we launched went off right next to our sub. I dropped my glasses and said that was too close. I was so scared I didn’t want to put my glasses back on to see the damage. The explosion was terrible. After Alaska, we came back to the States. There we had to go through three months of Navy overhaul which involves going over every inch of that submarine. They then gave me thirty days leave so I went home to South Dakota. But during that time, my brother got killed in Texas. Oh Rooney, you guys didn’t know Rooney, he got killed in Texas by a dumb accident on a truck.
JM: Can you explain what you did as an electricians mate one the Submarine?
LG: I wound up going down into the battery wells to clean the batteries so there wouldn’t be excessive amount of grounds. They wanted everything really clean so some of the work was very extensive. So that was one of the things we had to do was clean the batteries.
JM: Did you ever have any casualties on your submarine?
LG: No, there was no one actually killed on this submarine.
JM: What’s one of the most memorable experiences while on the Submarine?
LG: Well, one of the more memorable things was when we had to go to just north of Japan. We had to work very close with Russia. Working with them was a part that really didn’t encourage me. It was something I had to work through.
[9:07]
JM: Was there any way to stay in touch with your family during the service?
LG: The only way I was in touch with my family was through writing letters. That was it. That was all. I think some of the letters were checked out to make sure nothing was being said about our plans.
JM: What was the food like and the supplies? Were there plenty of both?
LG: All we had was already aboard the sub. There was no way to get anything else. We had plenty of supplies aboard ship and plenty to eat. We always had a good meal.
JM: Were you usually stressed out on the boat on a hard day or was it pretty easy going?
LG: Well, some of the times it was a little nasty but most of the time no problem at all.
JM: Okay, did you ever have any entertainment or entertainers there?
LG: I think we had entertainment in the Pacific at Midway. At Midway Island, we had our beer there and we had a pretty good time.
JM: Did you ever have any good luck charms or anything you did for good luck?
LG: No, I can't say that.
JM: Do you recall any humorous of unusual events that were on the ship?
LG: On the ship, you know, I had very little experience as far as fun goes because I was kept so busy, enough to stay out of trouble.
JM: Do you recall when your service ended?
LG: Let me try to explain that to you. I went through the Panama Canal and back up the east coast and there I spent several months in the United States waters before the war was over. The war in Germany was not over with and the War in Japan was not over with either.
JM: Have you seen any of your close friends that were with you in the war?
LG: Yes, I have seen several. Quite a few. In fact, I'll tell you a little story about one of the captains that I got acquainted with pretty well. I walked up to my captain one night and said, "Hello Frank. How are you?" and he said to me, "That’s what I want to be called instead of captain!" I will never forget that as long as I live. And he was, as far as I was concerned, an exceptional official. Period. Very, very well liked. Whatever you wanted to say about him, you could. He was just a gentleman. Period.
JM: After you got back did you go back to school or did you pursue a carrier?
LG: No, I did not go back to school. I went and tended bar down the street for eight years and then he [the manager] changed it into a liquor store. I worked there fifty years right down the street on the corner. No bologna either!
JM: In Japan, were you ever fired upon or did you ever fire at anyone?
LG: No, as far as I can remember we were never fired on nor did we fire on an enemy.
JM: Did you ever feel claustrophobic aboard the ship? Was it really small?
LG: No, I cannot say that. I put my time in wherever it was needed and that’s what I did.
JM: Did you just have one big room where everybody slept or did you have individual corridors?
LG: No, I had my own bunk. I stayed in it all through the war and that was it! I had my own bunk but there were quite a few guys in that particular area.
[15:37] JM: Can you tell me about the reunions that you have been to?
LG: I've been all over the United States. I’ve missed only two states and I've been to a great deal of reunions. The one that stands out more in my mind is the one in New Orleans. That was absolutely great. We had a lot of people there and that was great.
JM: This is perfect! How did your service and experience affect your life?
LG: Oh, my gosh, I don't think it had anything to do with your life. I learned to be with people and I learned to just absolutely enjoy people. Period. To this day, I still enjoy people.
JM: Did you spend days, weeks or months on while on the submarine?
LG: Well, the longest trip we made was like I said north of Japan and we were close to Russia. It was just one of those things I learned to coup with because it was my duty and I just had to do what I thought was right.
[18:03.5]
JM: How many trips did you make on the submarine?
LG: Actually I made only two trips: one in the North of Japan and one to Hawaii and Alaska.
JM: Were they weeks or months at a time?
LG: The trip on Alaska was for several weeks.
JM: Did people get very sea sick while aboard the Submarine?
LG: I was so sea sick at times it was pathetic!
JM: Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t covered yet?
LG: Well, the experiences that I cannot remember that well where when we went to Panama through the locks and up the east coast. I wish I could remember more.
JM: Are the men that were aboard the submarine your life-long friends? Do you still talk to them often?
LG: I don't talk to them often because a lot of them are gone. I do talk every chance I get to some of the guys. So it's fun, you know what I mean? To remember all these guys, I just wish that our old captain was alive and I could possibly talk to him more.
JM: How did you care about other things going on in the war while one the submarine?
LG: Actually, there were a lot of things that were going on, but one of the things that I could remember is that the Japs had ships that they could launch aircraft off of. These airplanes could possibly cause a lot of problems to the submarines.
JM: Do you remember Pearl Harbor and hearing about that?
LG: I wasn’t there at that time but I spent eight months at Pearl Harbor working on submarines. We would do any work that had to be done on these submarines that came in from the ocean. One of the things that comes to my mind is going in to get my tonsils taken out. The nurses and doctors all laughed at me and said, "We do not take care of anything but casualties!" In other words, unless you have a battle wound, we can’t help you. They sent me back to the submarine and I had to go to a civilian hospital to get my tonsils taken out.
[23:42]
JM: Was your brother Rooney enlisted when he was killed?
LG: Oh yeah, he was in the service.
JM: What was he doing?
LG: He went into the army in Texas. He was crazy about baseball and wanted to play instead of full time service. He was so good, they granted him permission to discuss this with military personal at a different location. In route, he got clipped or hit by another truck and that’s where he died.
JM: Do you recall where you were when he died?
LG: I was on the West Coast waiting to go back out to sea. They gave me ten days to come to South Dakota and I thought he would be buried there but he wasn’t. He was buried in Rockford, Illinois because that’s where his wife insisted. That’s where he is today.
[25:38]
JM: Can you describe some of these pictures of your reunion?
LG: Sure! This is at the memorial in Washington, DC. It's really something to see. There are two guys that I know real well in submarine service here. Bob Palis and myself are still very close friends. This guy here, I’ve just known him the last four or five years. This is the plane we flew out on. It is decorated exactly the way we wanted it. These are the only four guys that are still living that I was on Submarine duty with. That’s myself, Bob Palis, another Bob and Johnny. This is another picture of the plane and they had a big party for us when we came back. It was unbelievable. I never thought they would have such a party. Here is me with my cane and here is another picture of the plane. Oh gosh! Where did you get these pictures?
JM: They are yours!
LG: Yeah? Beautiful! This is part of the memorial. This is one guy I got acquainted with a little bit. Here are the four submarine survivors. This is another picture of the Korean War Memorial. There is the four of us together again at the World War I [II?] Memorial.
[29:42]
JM: Do you remember the name of your submarine?
LG: The Skipjack.
JM: Do you know where it is today?
LG: Yes! I know where it is today.
JM: Have you seen it?
LG: No, it's in the middle of the Pacific at the bottom of the Ocean! [laughter]
JM: Do you have really old pictures of you and other men on the sub?
LG: These are some that we had, no others that I can recall.
JM: Do you have any pictures in your uniform?
LG: Hey, you threw a curve at me! I don't have any pictures of me in uniform.
JM: Do you still have your uniform?
LG: I think my uniform is in South Dakota still. The only uniform I have and it's still there in South Dakota.
JM: Can you describe what it looked like and what it had on it?
LG: Well, when I came back I was in uniform and my parents had a picture but that has been lost through the years. I don’t have any pictures of myself in uniform left.
JM: So is it a pretty standard uniform?
LG: Yes.
JM: And everyone wore the same thing?
LG: Oh yes, we all wore the same outfit except when we were doing work. When working on the sub, I always wore a t-shirt and work pants and that’s it.
JM: What do you think about the navy today?
LG: I still respect the Navy today. I really do. I think it's absolutely great what a lot of guys are doing. In fact, the VFW that I belonged to had about maybe six members that were on submarines.
JM: Did the Captain come around and inspect your bunk every day?
LG: No, he did not. The old man he always stayed in his area. Period!
JM: Were you close to other electricians mates?
LG: Oh yes. I worked closely with them so I got to know them pretty well. Electrician mates did whatever had to be done.
[36:40] JM: Did you say you started off 3rd Class then you moved up to second class?
LG: Yes, I moved up to 2nd class.
JM: How did that happen?
LG: I was given 2nd class without them even saying anything. I was just automatically given 2nd class.
[36:52] JM: Were you married before the war?
LG: I got married after the war.
JM: How long after? Did you meet her before?
LG: No, I didn't. We meet afterwards.
JM: How old were you when you enlisted?
LG: Twenty-one years-old
JM: Did you go to college?
LG: No.
JM: Not many people did?
LG: No, there were not too many guys that did.
JM: How old were you when you got out of the service?
LG: I must have been about twenty-four. I put about three years into the service.
JM: Do you remember what year that would be?
LG: Around 1945 I believe.
JM: So, was the war still going on when you got out of the service?
LG: No, the war was just over.
JM: Was there a big celebration?
LG: We had no celebration of any kind. In fact, as I said, I got discharged with a guy from Minneapolis. I wish that I knew where he was because I think him and I could woop it up a little bit. He is possibly dead. You know what I mean.
JM: Do you recall your parents missing you and worrying about you?
LG: Well, my Dad told me, "Whatever you do kid, stay out of submarines." So that’s exactly where I went! [laughter].
JM: Were they very worried?
LG: Oh, I guess not. They never missed me.
JM: Did they still live in South Dakota?
LG: My parents, mother and father are both dead. My sister lives is Sioux Falls. She still talks to me quite often. In fact just the other day, I talked to her. I got a sister that lives in Minneapolis and her name is Verline. I had a brother in Wyoming and he is one heck of a nice guy, Babe. In fact, I can remember the day he was born! Believe me and I mean it! He was born and my mother was in the bedroom and that’s where she produced him.
JM: What brought you here to Chicago?
LG: Well, one of those crazy things. I wound up coming to Chicago and worked at the liquor store and tending bar.
JM: Is that place still here?
LG: Yes, the liquor store it is still here but the bar is no longer there.
JM: So it's just a liquor store?
LG: Yes, I’ve been away from that liquor store for several years. In fact I retired in 1997 and I've been away from there ever since.
JM: Would you encourage a young person to enlist?
LG: It really depends on what his outlook maybe. If his outlook is difficult or maybe a little on the different side of life, than it is fine idea to enlist.
[43:06] JM: Specifically in the navy, would you push the navy over the army or any other branch of service?
LG: Yes, I would. [laughter] Only because of me being there you know?
JM: Alright, I think that is it! Thank you Uncle Lloyd!
LG: Hey thank you!
[43:15] End of interview.